Why women are worrying about their fertility far too early

Should baby panic mode set in during your 20s? According to consultant gynaecologist Professor Geeta Nargund, the answer is yes. She recently warned that women should start trying for a baby before they hit 30, or risk never having kids. She also said fertility issues placed a 'costly and largely unnecessary burden on the NHS', warning that the IVF bill 'looks set only to increase'. Hundreds of millions is already spent on IVF, with each treatment 'cycle' costing around £5,000. But are her comments cause for concern?

We spoke to Karen Morton, gynaecologist and obstetrician at Dr Morton's – the medical helpline who says that while some women may be pushing beyond what's a reasonable time to naturally conceive because of the cultural and social trend to have children later in life, these fears are unfounded. She believes women are starting to worry far too early because of the publicity surrounding the issue:

"There's no 'right time' to have a baby. This is a simple truth. In my antenatal clinic I see women of 25 having their fourth child and women of 40 having their first. The latter may have struggled to get to this point or they may simply have only just met the right man. Or they may be 'going it alone'."

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She advises to try for a baby when you're ready, but warns that this is one aspect of our life that we can't control like we try to with everything else. Waiting for the sake of waiting, she says, isn't wise either:

"A 'reasonable' time to have a baby depends on life circumstances. I see a surprising number of couples who are in solid relationships, married or not, who are wanting a family one day but they leave it until they're 36, when in fact they have been together for 6 or 7 years already: this doesn't seem sensible to me. If you want a family, once you're happy and settled then you shouldn't think there's an optimum time to do it, you should just do it."

But your fertility doesn't nose dive at 35

A study by David Dunson, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, looked at the chances of getting pregnant among 782 women. It found that 82% of 35-39 year old women who had sex twice a week conceive within a year, compared to 86% of 27-34 year olds.

Your fertility does drop the older you get, but Dunson's study shows the difference in pregnancy rates between early and late 30s is only 4%, which is hardly enough for women to worry in their 20s.

Karen agrees that there's no doubt that fertility drops from 35 onwards, but she says that there are thousands of ladies having babies well into their 40s, and the menopause, which is the time that women cease to be completely fertile, has now got later and later as well. The decline in fertility for women in their 30s has been oversold she says:

"Once you're certain that this is the right relationship and you're settled don't leave it years because there will be no right time. But I think women are worrying far too early. We shouldn't be telling girls at school that they should be having babies in their 20s. It's great if they want children in the 20s, but many women don't or they simply haven't found the right partner."

When should you start worrying about not conceiving?

It's natural to worry if getting pregnant is taking longer than you expected and sometimes it can be a justified concern. But eight out of every ten women trying for a baby will fall pregnant within the first year and most women will become pregnant naturally within two years of trying. It's common to seek advice if you're having difficulty and around 15% of all couples will.

Karen says that if you have a regular cycle, then you have no reason to worry. If your periods are coming regularly, anywhere between 21 and 35 days, you can absolutely depend that you're making an egg every month.

"If you have a regular cycle you must be producing eggs because it's this that brings on your period. And it's near enough impossible to be menstruating regularly and not ovulating – so that's the great reassurance. So women don't have to go and spend loads of money on tests."

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If you are over 35 and have worrying symptoms, such as infrequent periods, or no periods then it's a good idea to see your GP after about six months of trying (defined as having sex at least twice a week). And your partner can also do the same.

"I would suggest that couples try for at least six months before they seek help. If you're a man who has had undescended testicles or mumps as an adult, then it would be reasonable to do it much earlier but otherwise a low sperm count is a relatively rare thing," says Karen.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

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